Maple Street opening location in Tioga

Maple Street Biscuit Company, known for its Southern comfort-food biscuits, will open its second Gainesville location in the Tioga Town Center.

The location will be owned by Jason Hurst, associate director of Front Street Commercial Real Estate.

“This Tioga location is sure to be a hit amongst the rapidly-growing west end market and represents one of the only fast-casual breakfast concepts west of I-75 in Alachua County,” Hurst said in a news release.

Scott Moore, founder of Maple Street Biscuit Company, said the store will be one of the business’s few “chartered locations,” which means Hurst will privately own the store, but it will still maintain corporate core values.

"There should be no variation between restaurants," said Trevor Sturm, community leader of Maple Street's Archer Road location. "That's the Maple Street way."

The store is scheduled to open next year sometime between January and March.

Closings

As doors open to new restaurants in Gainesville, others have been forced to close.

Caribbean Spice, a restaurant known for its beef patties, will close within the week.

MSC Retail, a real estate development company, bought the strip that the restaurant operates out of, which will be destroyed to build Hub On Campus, a new mixed-use student housing facility.

MSC Retail officials gave tenants until Sunday to get out, said Debu Tiwari, part owner of neighboring Indian restaurant Kabab House.

Tiwari said his restaurant will close, but he's pushing the developers to allow the restaurant to operate until the end of October.

"We're not ready," he said.

Owners of both Caribbean Spice and Kabab House have yet to decide if they will reopen in new locations.

Popovers

A new cafe and bakery has opened its doors in Alachua.

Popovers on Main Cafe and Bakery at 14816 Main St. opened Sept. 13, and serves various salads and sandwich presses, said Mary Nell Combs, the restaurant and bakery owner.

The name stems from the business' popovers, which are essentially large muffins, Combs said. The popovers and their accompanying cinnamon butter are served to every customer free of charge.

Combs said customer favorites have been the cafe's chicken salad and turkey sandwich, which comes with cranberry sauce.

“It’s like Thanksgiving all year,” she said.

The cafe is open from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and the bakery is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., both on Monday through Friday.